Risk Anything
by Starrbaby
Summary: Jayne learns to respect Simon's choices when he lives a similar horror. (I've added a bit more to this "one-shot" piece)


Simon was unsurprisingly in the infirmary. He shuffled though papers trying to find the most recent chart he had made for River. A shuffling sound and a deep clearing of the throat caught his attention. Simon spun around to see Jayne in the doorway.

"Yes?" Simon raised an eyebrow and scanned the large man for blood.

"I, uh, wanted ta say somethin'." Jayne's uncomfortable demeanor showed.

Simon placed the papers on the counter. "Go ahead."

Jayne looked at the floor then back up at the young doctor. "I feel ya now."

Simon knitted his eyebrows together, "Feel me?"

"Yeah," Jayne nibbled on his thumbnail. "I guess I know how it is for ya now. And 'm sorry ya don't have family ta help."

Simon's face softened. "Thank you, Jayne. You are very lucky to have a good family. She'll be just fine."

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-One week earlier-

"Now you're sure you want to be the one to go in there?" Mal had a look of genuine worry he didn't usually direct towards the mercenary.

Jayne straitened his jacket sleeves. "Yeah, it's gotta be me. I'm the only one who knows what she looks like. If'n more'n one of us goes in, he'll get suspicious. Men don't take a posse to buy a slave."

Mal grunted his agreement and handed Jayne his hat. "What gun are you taken'?"

"Vera's gonna hafta sit this'n out. I need somethin' little." He slipped a simple revolver inside his jacket and walked towards the air lock. "Tell Wash ta keep it runnin'. This won't take long."

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"Now what kind of, er, helper were you looking for, Mister . . . ."

"Lee."

"Mr. Lee."

The man walking beside Jayne disgusted him. It took every ounce of strength he had not to reach out and crush the man's scrawny throat. However, Jayne knew that harming the piece of go se now might keep him from finding her. He, instead, calmly walked beside him towards the barn.

"I'm, um, . . . .well, I was thinkin' a girl."

The man nodded his head and smirked knowingly. "Oh, we have lots of them."

"Not too young though, .. .but not too old. . . . .uh, . .. .not skinny. I want one that's stout. . . .but not fat."

"You look like a farm owner, Mr. Lee. I'm supposing you need one that can haul her weight and earn her keep."

"Yeah, that's it." Jayne clenched his fists . . .his finger dying to pull a trigger. "Oh, an' I like dark curly hair."

"I've got just the one for you."

They had reached the barn, and the man fumbled with the padlock on the door. After undoing the lock he swung open the creaking doors spilling sunlight into the dark barn. This was a scene quite familiar to Jayne, but where he was used to the sounds of chicken and livestock, there was quiet. He heard an occasional cough or moan, but other than that the barn was eerily silent.

The man reached behind a support beam and grabbed a lantern. He struck a match and lit the lamp. The barn filled with a soft orange light. With the light, Jayne could see the walls of the barn lined with people in all positions. Some were lying down some sitting leaning against the wall. All had their hands and feet bound.

The man lead Jayne over to a small form curled up in a ball. As they got closer, the form was obviously a woman facing away from the pair. She was dressed in a ratty flowered sundress and her dirty hands and bare feet were tied with a rope. The man walked over to her and prodded her with his toe. "Get up, Cobb. Look your best for the nice gentleman."

The form rustled. She groaned and turned so she was sitting. She still had her arms wrapped around her knees, but she was facing the men now. She slowly raised her head to look at Jayne as a dark curl fell into her eyes.

"As you can see, Mr. L-" BANG! The man fell to the floor in a puddle of blood.

The dark haired slave screamed and wiggled towards the wall. Janye lunged for her and grabbed her. "No no no no no no no!" The girl cried and kicked.

Jayne hoisted her into his arms and ran. As he ran out the door of the barn and towards the waiting ship he tried to comfort the bundle in his arms.

"Shhhhhh! Bobbie! It's me, Jayne. You're okay, Bobbie! I've got you."

Bobbie looked at Jayne with unfocused blue eyes. "Jayne?"

"Yeah, it's me. You're fine now, bao bai." Jane huffed as he ran.

A look of recognition spread over Bobbie's face. She buried that face in Jayne's shoulder and cried like she would never stop. She clung to her savior as he boarded Serenity and shouted for Wash to break atmo.

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"I didn't even know Jayne had a sister," Zoe said to Mal as they watched through the infirmary window.

"I figured he did. Farmin' families have lots of kids."

They watched as Simon checked the sleeping young woman's vitals.

"We aren't keeping her on the ship, are we, sir?"

Mal opened his mouth to answer as Jayne walked up behind them.

"Mom wants her home." Jane grunted. "When she wrote to say Bobbie was taken she said to bring her right home. She wants to take care of her."

"I'm surprised they managed to take her." Zoe looked carefully at the sleeping form. "She looks pretty strong, and if she's anything like you - "

"She ain't nothin' like me." Jayne interrupted. "She's smart. She was the schoolteacher back home. Mom was so proud."

"I can see why she'd be proud." Mal rested his hand on Jayne's shoulder.

"She's tough though. She'll pull though just fine. I'll bet whoever took her got pretty bunged up in the process."

Mal patted and pulled his hand away. "Yeah, she'll be fine."

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The crew sat at the table in the mess hall. Silently, they chewed their protein mush. The silence was broken by Kaylee. "You sure Bobbie wouldn't want nothin' to eat?"

"Naw, she's sleepin'" Jayne mumbled through a mouthful of dinner. "She hates bein' woke up."

"How come you never mentioned her before?" Kaylee nibbled on a lump held between her chopsticks.

Jayne shrugged. "Ya never asked."

Wash spoke up, "I think she looks like Kaylee."

Jayne turned towards Wash and raised an eyebrow.

Wash set down his chopsticks. "I mean it. If you dyed Kaylee's hair black and curled it a bit more they'd pass as sisters."

River spoke, "Bobbie looks like her mother. Freud could explain why Jayne dreams of Kaylee."

Kaylee gasped then covered her mouth with her hand. Her cheeks turned pink, but she didn't look displeased.

Simon buried his face in his hands and groaned. His brilliant sister had done it again.

Jane slamed his chopsticks down and whipped his head towards River. "Who says I dream 'bout her, an' who the hell's Freud?"

River rolled her eyes, "Read a book."

Simon jumped up, "Okay, that's enough. River, it's time for your medicine." He turned to the still annoyed merc, "Could you check on your sister? If she's awake, ask her if she wants a smoother." Simon guided his grinning sister out of the mess hall.

"So," Kaylee grinned evilly towards Jayne. "Ya dream of me?"

Jayne quickly gathered his plate and chopsticks to put them in the sink. "I don't dream." He left.

Mal rubbed his temples, "How was your day, Zoe?"

Zoe smiled closed lipped, "Just fine, sir. And yours?"

"Good. Thanks for askin'." Mal lowered his hands to the table, "Why can't we all have conversations like that over dinner?"

"'Cause River can see our dreams." Kaylee offered.

"Oh, that's right!" Mal threw his hands into the air. "I almost forgot about that."

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Jayne peeked into the infirmary and whispered, "Bobbie? You awake?"

Bobbie tuned over onto her side and smiled at Jayne. "Yeah, I'm awake." She stretched.

"You hungry? I could bring you some dinner."

"Is it any good?"

"Naw, tastes like crotch."

"I think I'll pass."

Jayne sat on the side on the bed and twirled a curl around his finger. Bobbie smiled up at her brother, "You came for me."

"Someone had to."

" "Member when we were little and Mama would make you watch after me, and you hated it so much?"

"You kept following me around with your gorram books wantin' me to read to ya." Jayne smiled in spite of himself, "Drove me nuts, 'cause even though you were just knee high to a june bug you could read better'n me."

"I still wanted you to read to me."

"Never could figure that one out."

"Me neither." Bobbie yawned and rolled over on her back. "Books just sounded better when you read them."

"Go ta sleep." Jayne stood up. "We'll be home when you wake up."

"M'kay."

Jayne walked towards the door. Bobbie called after him, "Thank you for gettin' me outta there, Jayne."

Jayne stopped, but he didn't turn around to look at his sister. "That's what good brothers do, Bobbie. They get their bratty little sisters out of messes." He continued walking.

"You always were a good brother," Bobbie called after him. She wasn't sure if he had heard her.

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Serenity landed slowly in the middle of a dusty ranch kicking up dirt in every direction. As the gate lowered, Jane walked slowly off. As he walked towards the tiny aged house a frail older woman appeared in the door.

"Oh! Did you find her?" Jayne's mother ran towards him.

Jayne caught her in his arms. "I found her. I brought her home, Mama." He whispered in her ear.

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-Two weeks earlier-

"I don't know what the hell yer problem is." Jayne was in Simon's face again.

"Right now, my problem is a large man who needs to bathe." Simon didn't back down the way Jayne had expected.

"You really need a vacation, Doc." Jayne growled. "Still can't believe anyone would risk anything fer that moonbrain you call a sister."

"I wouldn't expect you to understand, Jayne." Simon turned to walk away. "You don't care about anyone but yourself." He called over his shoulder.

Jayne waited until Simon was out of earshot. "That's not true."


End file.
